Sandy Art Contest to Honor Storm Survivors

Eight hundred pounds of Long Beach boardwalk ruble is being re-purposed as artwork to commemorate the community spirit that prevailed after Superstorm Sandy destroyed the famed seaside tourist attraction.

Nassau County officials invited local artists to join a privately funded contest with cash prizes up to $10,000 for the winner and judges deciding which work best captures the theme in six months—timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the historic storm.

“Every crisis, every storm and every natural disaster provides all of us with the ability to call upon our inner strength to begin the job of recovery,” Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said during a news conference Thursday at his Mineola office.

Second place wins $5,000, third place takes home $2,500 and honorable mentions will get $1,000 each. The prizes are funded by Lawrence Kadish, a Republican national committeeman from Old Westbury, and his wife, Susan, an artist.

The competition is open to Nassau residents of all ages. The deadline for submitted art work is Sept. 1 and the winners will be chosen on Oct. 29. All accepted submissions will be displayed at the Office of Emergency Management for approximately six months.

For more information on rules and submission forums visit the county’s website www.nassaucounty.gov or call 516-571-6000.

Timothy Bolger is the Editor in Chief of the Long Island Press who’s been working to uncover unreported stories since shortly after it launched in 2003. When he’s not editing, getting hassled by The Man or fielding cold calls to the newsroom, he covers crime, general interest and political news in addition to reporting longer, sometimes investigative features. He won’t be happy until everyone is as pissed off as he is about how screwed up Lawn Guyland is.